1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX tail light/dash light/gauge light fuse keeps blowing. I've replaced the fuse a few times only with the 15 type fuse as stated on the fuse-box. It blows every time i hit a bump in the road. I have no idea where to look. I've looked at the wires under the dashboard and the bundles in the engine bay and they all look alright. Is there a specific wire i need to look for in a specific place? Any and all help is much appreciated. Thank you.

fuses blow because of dead shorts or excess current draw
to blow a 15 amp fuse indicates a dead short
by disconnecting the rear lights , the problem is in something else you have replaced
could be a problem in the head light wiring

How did you check fuses? Volt ohm meter? or visual. If visual, sometimes they look good, but actually are not. Otherwise, what preceded this symptom prior to or immediately prior to? I would try to connect this with the behavior before.

I would normally say to replace with a higher amp fuse, from a 15 to a 20. But it's possible you have a short somewhere in your system, grounding a power wire. A higher amp fuse could cause that grounded wire to overheat and burn making smoke. First thing to do is to check the ground wire(white)where connected to the firewall under dash and make sure they are clean and tight, for a good connection. The power may be backfeeding and causing the fuse to pop because of a week ground.

Fuse able link by the battery .start there

Your tail lights, license plate ights, and side marker lights are protected by the same fuse that supplies power to the dash lights. Hint: if your other lights are working, the fuse is NOT blown and you don't have to spend time looking for it.

The next thing that deserves mention is the fact that the dash lights are controlled by the dash light rheostat (dimmer switch). Make sure you don't have them turned off with the switch.

If after reading the above, you still think you need to find the fuse, it is fuse #5 (15 Amp) located in the dedicated fuse and relay box in the engine compartment. It is most likely marked "Taillight Relay".

Please also review the following articles:

Where's The Fuse?

What Else Could Be Wrong?

Brake light shorted to ground.

something is shorting to ground...look for any bare wiring...i had one time ..a brake light fuse kept blowing...after about 2 days found out it was the bulb it self (it was working too)...strange ???

connector under the truck, near the trans
cannot remember specifics at this time but remember starting there every time one cam into the dealer with tail light issues and blown fuses

you may have a broken wire in between the doors. there is a rubber boot the harness runs through u will have to take it off to inspect. hope this helps.

TO TROUBLE SHOOT ELECTRICAL YOU MIGHT NEED TO TRY A GOOD BULB OF CORRECT TYPE INTO SOCKET IN BRAKE FIXTURE THEN ALSO MAKE CERTAIN THE REGULAR TAIL LIGHT ELEMENT IS GOOD REPLACE FUSE WITHOUT PRESSING BRAKE LIGHTS ON IF FUSE IS OK THEN TURN ON THE RUNNING LIGHTS SEE IF THE ONE IN QUESTION IS COMING ON IF IT IS AND THE FUSE IS OK THEN PRESS BRAKE PEDAL AND SEE IF THE BULB LIGHTS WITH THE BRAKE ON ALSO THE FOUR WAY FLAHER IF FUSE IF STILL GOOD IT MIGHT ALLOW DASH LIGHTS TO COME ON MANY VEHICLES HAVE A SAFETY WAY OF LETTING YOU KNOW YOU HAVE NO TAIL LIGHTS BY ALSO TURNING OFF THE DASH LIGHTS.